Messages, such as text messages and email messages, often contain a pointer (e.g., data indicative of a location for other data) to additional content such as a uniform resource locator (URL). Typically, the additional content is only downloaded to the device if requested by the user. For example, a relatively small text message sent to a wireless device may contain a hyperlink, and when the user clicks the hyperlink, the wireless device may load a relatively large web page.
Wireless devices must share the available bandwidth with other wireless devices in the same geographic area. As a result, if a large number of wireless devices in the same geographic area all request additional content at approximately the same time, the network may become congested and slow down or fail. For example, if an emergency message is sent to a large number of wireless devices in a certain geographic region, and that message includes a hyperlink (e.g., to a web page with detailed evacuation instructions, maps, etc.), the network may be flooded with requests for the additional content.